If you are affected with glaucoma, you are among the more than 4 million people in the U.S. and almost 70 million around the world with the condition. The Glaucoma Research Foundation, or GRF, estimates the disease causes between 9 and 12 percent of all blindness cases in America. Even though glaucoma is treatable, the GRF estimates that more than half of those with the condition have not been diagnosed. The National Eye Institute defines glaucoma as a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve.
Blind Spots
Before vision is completely lost, most people with glaucoma develop large blind spots. The Glaucoma Foundation, a different organization than the GRF, states that blind spots develop and grow progressively as nerves deteriorate. Glaucoma damages peripheral vision first, reducing the range of sight and visual acuity.
Total Blindness
The Glaucoma Foundation reports that vision loss from glaucoma is progressive. Optic nerve damage spreads, eventually working its way from peripheral vision to the central vision, or the area directly in front of you. Glaucoma-related blindness is irreversible, as no treatment can revive dead optic nerves.
Pain and Pressure
Glaucoma typically does not cause pain; therefore, you may not realize if you have it. Acute, or angle-closure, glaucoma is the exception to the rule. Onset is sudden, according to the GRF, and caused by blocked drainage canals, which regulate fluid pressure in the eye. The eye's iris -- the colored part around the pupil -- will bunch up when shifted quickly by the pupil. Fluid cannot escape from the surface of the eye, causing pressure and pain to build. The Glaucoma Foundation classifies an acute glaucoma attack as a medical emergency, warning that delayed treatment may cause blindness.
Sensitivity to Light
Congenital glaucoma, which the National Eye Institute reports is most prevalent in children, often carries the side effect of light sensitivity. Dr. Rick Wilson, a glaucoma specialist affiliated with the Glaucoma Service Foundation to Prevent Blindness, explains: "Patients with congenital glaucoma have young, soft eyes that stretch with the high pressure. The stretching and the pressure of fluid pushing into the cornea cause light sensitivity."
